Mains General Studies Paper III

The Wildlife Institute of India (WII) has prepared a 10-year management plan for Delhi's only wildlife sanctuary — Asola Bhatti Wildlife Sanctuary in the Aravalli range — revealing that the invasive alien tree species Prosopis Juliflora (Vilayati Kikar) alone covers a staggering 63.48% of the sanctuary's landscape, posing a severe ecological threat. This article explains the WII management plan in detail, the invasive species crisis, the Aravalli–Delhi Ridge ecology, biological invasion impacts, India's legal framework on Invasive Alien Species under the Wildlife (Protection) Act and Convention on Biological Diversity, and the broader conservation challenges facing Delhi's last green lung.

The Centre has delayed the annual wage hike for over 11 crore NREGS workers under MGNREGA for 2026-27 as it prepares to roll out the new Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) or G-RAM-G scheme. This is the first time in more than a decade that the revised wage notification has not been issued in February-March. Previous year’s rates will continue until the new scheme is implemented. This article explains what NREGS is, how wages are notified every year, what the new G-RAM-G scheme changes, why the hike is halted, its impact on rural workers and families, and all basic technical concepts behind the transition.

Iran has carried out attacks on multiple energy facilities in the Gulf, hitting a major petrochemical plant in the UAE’s Ruwais area, two units in Bahrain and several facilities in Kuwait. At the same time, Israel launched strikes on southern suburbs of Beirut and other areas in Lebanon. These developments mark a dangerous new phase in the ongoing war, directly targeting energy infrastructure and raising fears of even bigger disruptions in global oil and gas supplies.

OPEC+ members met virtually on Sunday and agreed to increase their collective oil output quotas by 206,000 barrels per day for the month of May. This is a modest rise on paper, but actual production cannot increase much because of the ongoing US-Israel war with Iran that has completely shut the Strait of Hormuz. The decision comes amid the worst-ever disruption in global oil supply and rising concerns about attacks on energy assets. Crude oil prices have already climbed to a four-year high near $120 per barrel.

The Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) has given relief to wind and solar power generators by postponing stricter deviation settlement norms by one full year. The new rules, which were to begin on April 1, 2026, will now come into force only from April 1, 2027. This decision comes at a time when renewable energy already accounts for more than 50 per cent of India’s total installed power capacity, making grid balancing more challenging.

While many parts of India are struggling with the LPG crisis caused by rising prices and supply issues due to the West Asia conflict, the small village of Ekauni in Chandauli district of Uttar Pradesh remains completely untouched. All 500 residents here cook using piped biogas produced from cow dung in a community plant set up in 2022. The story highlights how a simple, locally managed biogas system can provide reliable and cheap clean cooking fuel to rural families.

US special forces successfully rescued the second crew member of a downed F-15E Strike Eagle fighter jet from a remote mountain area inside Iran after the aircraft was shot down on April 3. President Donald Trump announced the high-risk mission and, in strong social media posts, warned Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz by Tuesday or face severe strikes on its power plants and infrastructure. In response to the fast-moving crisis, Iran’s Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi called India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on April 5 to discuss the current situation in West Asia.

On March 28, 2026, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh chaired the first meeting of the newly formed Informal Group of Ministers (IGoM) in New Delhi to review the evolving situation in West Asia and its impact on India. The IGoM was set up under the direction of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to monitor the conflict involving Iran, Israel and the US, and to prepare for any challenges. Singh emphasised adopting a medium to long-term preparedness strategy, swift decision-making, and coordinated efforts to counter rumours, misinformation and fake news about the conflict’s effects on India.

On March 27, 2026, the Union government reduced the special additional excise duty on petrol and diesel by Rs 10 per litre each to shield consumers and oil marketing companies from rising global oil prices caused by the West Asia conflict. At the same time, it imposed an export levy of Rs 21.5 per litre on diesel and Rs 29.5 per litre on aviation turbine fuel (ATF) to discourage exports and ensure enough supply remains in the domestic market. Retail pump prices of petrol and diesel will not change, but the move will help reduce losses of public sector oil companies.

On March 27, 2026, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) released its interim economic outlook that looks at how the ongoing West Asia conflict (US-Israel military campaign against Iran) is affecting global economies. The report clearly shows winners and losers in terms of growth and inflation. India is among the strong performers with only a small downward revision in its 2026 GDP growth forecast, while Europe and the UK face sharp slowdowns. This comes almost a month after the conflict began and highlights India’s economic resilience amid rising oil prices and global uncertainty.

On March 27, 2026, the Uttar Pradesh government announced a major plan to turn Sambhal into a new religious tourism destination like Ayodhya and Varanasi. The project will revive 87 ancient teerth sthals (pilgrimage sites), 19 old wells and the 52-km Vanshgopal 24 Kosi Parikrama route at a total cost of Rs 300 crore. This is part of a bigger vision to make Sambhal a year-round pilgrimage centre based on the Hindu belief that it is the future birthplace of Lord Kalki, the last avatar of Vishnu. The plan also aims to boost local economy and tourism.

On March 27, 2026, industry experts speaking at Semicon China in Shanghai warned that the ongoing conflict in West Asia has tightened global helium supply, and this shortage has already started affecting tech supply chains. Helium is critical for chipmaking, and companies are now facing delays in production, longer delivery times and higher costs. The news comes as Qatar, which supplies nearly one-third of the world’s helium, faces disruptions, leaving the semiconductor, electronics, automobile and medical device industries scrambling for alternatives.